Online buyers need to be aware that Lowrance combos and GPS Plotters have a geofence programmed into them that identifies (via GPS) where the unit is.

If the GPS/Combo was made for distribution within America and the Current location is outside of 30 degrees West and International Dateline East of the Americas, the display will revert to US imperial units only and flash a message on the screen continuously saying "This unit is not set up in this area please contact authorized dealer". The cursor on the map function will also point to the centre of the US.

There is no cure for this. A customer said today he was $400 out of pocket on an HDS8 package by the time he returned it and paid the freight both ways.

This does not happen to models sold by authorised Australian Retailers such as CH Smith Marine.

Australian Law requires c tick certification and, as a Lowrance bulletin explains, units sold in the US do not.